Narcomania

Origin

- + mania + -. Reportedly coined by Dr. Norman S. Kerr in his book Inebriety (1865).

Full definition of narcomania

Noun

1. A pathological craving for or addiction to narcotics or alcohol.
• 1990, Mary Schaeffer Conroy, "Abuse of Drugs other than Alcohol and Tobacco in the Soviet Union," Soviet Studies, vol. 42, no. 3, p. 451,A. S. Sholomovich reported in 1925 that two institutions for child narcotic addicts and eight out-patient clinics for three forms of "narcomania"—alcohol, cocaine, and morphia addiction—were functioning in Moscow.

Usage notes

Since the early twentieth century, "narcomania" and terms derived therefrom have mainly been used to refer to addictive behavior in Eastern Europe and the former USSR.

Derived terms

• narcomaniac
• narcomaniacal